Hyderabad: The Attapur police have busted a gang allegedly involved in forging documents under the State government’s Shaadi Mubarak welfare scheme and fraudulently obtaining benefits worth around Rs. 21 lakh.
The arrested persons are – Mohammed Etemaad Ul Haq (25), Mohammed Akbar (20), Syed Musharaf Uddin (23), Mohammed Sarfaraz (26), Mohammed Jaffer (23) and Dharavath Ashok Kiran (32).
All six accused have been arrested and are being produced before a court.
According to police, the operation was carried out on June 12 following credible information that a group led by Mohammed Etemaad was preparing fake applications and supporting documents at a house in Fatima Colony, Hassan Nagar. The forged documents were allegedly being submitted to the Bandlaguda Tahsildar Office to secure welfare benefits for ineligible beneficiaries.
Police conducted a raid at the premises after obtaining necessary authorisation. During the search, officers seized a laptop, a CPU, a desktop computer, six mobile phones, forged Shaadi Mubarak applications and related documents.
Investigators found that Etemaad allegedly used image-editing software, including Adobe Photoshop and Paint, to manipulate photographs, Aadhaar details, marriage certificates and other records to create fake beneficiary applications.
Police said Mohammed Akbar allegedly coordinated the submission of the fabricated applications through Dharavath Ashok Kiran, a Special Revenue Inspector at the Bandlaguda Tahsildar Office. The official is accused of facilitating the processing of applications without conducting mandatory field verification.
Syed Musharaf Uddin, Mohammed Sarfaraz and Mohammed Jaffer allegedly assisted in identifying fake beneficiaries and collecting or fabricating bank account details, electricity bills, marriage photographs and other supporting documents. The accused are also suspected of sharing the proceeds obtained through the fraudulent claims.
During the operation, police seized 21 released cheques linked to the scheme, amounting to approximately Rs 21 lakh.
